1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle rear lighting system and more specifically to a bicycle rear lighting system which includes at least one row of light emitting diodes, LEDs which are arranged closely adjacent each other so that the respective light beams of the LEDs' overlap and reinforce each other to provide a bright light which can be readily seen by motorist approaching the bicycle from the rear.
Preferably the lighting system also includes a second row of LEDs also ranged closely adjacent each other to have overlapping reinforcing light beams, the second row of LEDs being arranged on a first line positioned to intersect a second line containing the first row of LEDs, and preferably are arranged so that the first line intersects the second line at an angle of approximately 90.degree..
Also, preferably, the lighting system includes a single LED which is mounted on the bicycle frame and is capable of being energized when the power in the batteries supplying voltage and current to the first row and/or the second row of LEDs is insufficient to energize the row or rows of LEDs but is sufficient to energize the single LED.
2. Description of the related art including information disclosed under 37 CFR .sctn..sctn.1.97-1.99 .
Heretofore a number of bicycle rear lighting systems have been proposed and examples of these previously proposed bicycle rear lighting systems are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 4,395,603 Lauzier 4,417,783 Le Vantine 4,586,021 Nickols 4,623,954 Schott et al. 4,586,113 Tsuyama 4,656,564 Felder 4,716,502 Schott et al. 4,760,372 Watson 4,787,014 Wodder et al. 4,792,882 Guevremont 4,833,444 Wisniewski 4,845,599 Lievin 4,860,177 Simms 4,875,142 Spector 4,896,138 Nickols 4,899,023 Shu-Hwa 4,920,464 Balentine, III 4,949,228 Lin et al. 5,029,055 Lindh 5,015,918 Copeland 5,175,528 Choi et al. ______________________________________
The Simms U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,177 teaches a bicycle safety light mounted which is to the seat column of a bicycle and which includes a housing mounting a plurality of light emitting diodes that are arranged in three horizontal rows and in ten vertical columns. Circuitry is provided in the housing for causing a constantly moving and converging pattern of light rows which visually direct and emphasize to a following viewer the center position of the rider and the bicycle. The control circuitry sequentially activates each light emitting diode in the array to produce the moving light pattern.
The Copeland U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,918 teaches the provision of red LEDs having sufficient brightness and efficiency to be employed as a bicycle tail lamp. The tail lamp is a steady flashing lamp and circuitry is provided for causing the LED of the lamp to flash.
The Lindh U.S. Pat. No 5,029,055 discloses a lamp including a reflector, batteries and a light emitting diode. Lindh teaches that one LED is hermetically encased between a glass that also serves as a reflector and a rear wall of the lamp. The light emitting diode is preferably a super ultrabright or high superbright LED.
The Choi et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,528 teaches a flashing safety warning light in which a superluminescent light emitting diode light source is driven by an oscillatory drive signal at a visually imperceptible but highly efficient operating frequency.
Also of background interest, are two non-analogous U.S. Patents relating to vehicle lamps for automobiles or trains, they being: the Bezos et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,629 and the Serizawa et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,335 .
The non-analogous Bezos et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,629 teaches a marker light for the trailing end of the rear car of a passenger, commuter, or freight train. The marker light includes arrays of LEDs and a lens arrangement. The LEDs are positioned with respect to the lenses of the right characteristics to provide a light of a required intensity and pattern.
More specifically, Bezos et al. teaches an array of light emitting diodes arranged to produce a light beam in a red-orange-amber color range with a minimum arc width of at least 15.degree. on each side of a vertical center line and 5.degree. on each side of a horizontal center line and an intensity on an axis of the beam of not less than 100 candela. To achieve this effect, a center group of LEDs in a line or array on a circuit board direct light perpendicularly outwardly from the circuit board while an array on one side and an array on the other side emit light at an angle to the circuit board toward the axis of the lamps in the center group.
The non-analogous Serizawa et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,335 teaches a vehicular lamp particularly for use in an automobile, employing light emitting diodes providing good illumination efficiency. Light produced by the light emitting diodes is applied in the form of parallel beams to a front lens member by a condenser lens and the parallel light beams are diffused by a diffusion lens on the front lens member.
As will be described in greater detail herein after, the bicycle rear lighting system of the present invention provides an array of light emitting diodes which are positioned closely adjacent each other so that the light emanating from each diode will overlap and reinforce the light beam emitted from an adjacent LED. The linear array of light emitting diodes can be arranged in a generally horizontal line or a generally vertical line at the rear of a bicycle.